Kerry exec flags “game-changing advances in plant-based ingredients,” flexitarians bolster sector

11 May 2020 --- The plant protein category is growing faster than dairy protein as consumers increasingly adopt a flexitarian approach to their diet for health and sustainability reasons. That is according to Mindy Leveille, Strategic Marketing Manager, Proteins, Kerry Taste & Nutrition, who flags that F&B manufacturers are developing great-tasting, plant-based alternative products to answer this consumer demand. “Many of these innovative products are receiving positive feedback and are being adopted into many consumers’ daily diet. Therefore, plant proteins are becoming mainstream,” she tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

Consumers want to adopt more healthy and varied diets by including more plant-based products. “Taste is king and product developers are improving the taste and texture all the time. The feel-good factor also plays a role. If you can eat something that’s tasty while also helping the environment, that’s a good thing,” explains Leveille. 

Constant innovation over the last few years has led to alternative dairy and meat options with organoleptic profiles that are much more appealing compared to products from even just a couple of years ago, according to Leveille. “These products have become tastier and that is a result of food scientists finding ways to integrate various new ingredients to make that taste and texture come alive,” she says. The next step is to improve the clean label credentials of each product; consumers want indulgent products, but they still want a clean label. 

Game-changing advances
The game-changing advances in plant-based ingredients involve the nutritional quality of the protein ingredients moving up to match that of animal-based protein, notes Leveille. “Aside from soy, most plant proteins are deficient in essential amino acids. You can combine plant proteins to increase the protein quality.”

Constant innovation over the last few years has led to alternative dairy and meat options.“One of the challenges with plant protein can be off-notes, gritty texture and mouthfeel. Flavor masking technologies and innovation in processing techniques are other areas of  advancement improving the taste and reducing grittiness of proteins in F&B applications,” she says. 

Meanwhile, functional plant protein-based beverages are an important area of growth in the global beverage market, which is expected to grow to surpass US$1 trillion in value by 2022, according to Leveille. A Kerry research report called “Unlocking the Power of Protein in Beverages” explains that this is a new growth area. “The product possibilities in the protein beverage market are limitless,” says Leveille. Product examples that are now possible include a refreshing clear plant protein water, iced coffee protein drinks or breakfast smoothies. 

“Products that combine both animal- and plant-based complementary proteins are ideal for targeting flexitarian consumers, which is the consumer category that is driving the growth of the plant-based market,” she comments. “For this reason, it is vital that plant-based products match their meat and dairy comparables to stay attractive to this consumer category. We are reaching that point right now as you can see with the success of plant-based burgers, sausages and beverages. However, there is still room for innovation to improve taste and texture with clean labeling,” Leveille flags. “Consumer attitudes and desires have shifted dramatically towards plant proteins.”

The ranging nutritional qualities of plant-based products
Many plant-based beverages such as almond milk have low protein content and this will become an important issue as consumer concerns shift from taste concerns to nutrition quality, says Leveille. “Sub-standard protein quality could be a quality concern going forward and those protein beverages that have complete protein content will have an advantage over other plant proteins. Plant milks like almond can be fortified by adding other plant proteins such as pea. This is the next stage of development,” she highlights. 

“Plant protein has the same nutritional challenge in food but this is more easily overcome by adding in nuts and other complementary proteins to the product ingredients. This may also require adding in other ingredients such as flavors to improve the taste. A far easier solution is to use a plant protein ingredient that is already a complete protein including all essential amino acids,” Leveille states. 

Moreover, plant-based foods will likely come under increasing scrutiny and competitive pressure from traditional food sources and from each other, says Leveille. “The emerging competitive differentiators appear to be taste, nutrition, protein quality and clean label,” she continues. “Plant proteins will need to greatly improve protein quality and this will become a key differentiator once taste quality is much closer. Plant protein products will also need to develop a shorter, more clean label, ingredients list.”

Another key aspect will be price between existing traditional proteins and new plant proteins as more competition begins between ingredients and also between many different end user products such as burgers and beverages. “New additional price pressures will continue to emerge and this will have an ongoing impact on the plant protein ingredients market. The end winner will be the consumer who will end up with more nutritious, more tasty and clean label plant protein products.“ 

With the global population projected to reach nine billion by the late 2030s and with rising consumer incomes in many emerging countries over recent decades, the demand for quality dairy protein should continue to grow, Leveille asserts. “Plant proteins will likely continue to have a growing share of the global protein market but with two billion more mouths to feed between now and the late 2030s, there is plenty of market room for both plant and animal proteins.”

Meanwhile, the need for additional supplies of sustainably produced dairy and plant proteins is expected to continue to rise in coming years and decades in order to feed expanding consumer appetites around the world for quality F&B protein products, Leveille concludes. 

By Elizabeth Green